Curtain and curtain fabric for its manufacture



R. SCHMITZ 3,259,151

CURTAIN AND CURTAIN FABRIC FOR ITS MANUFACTURE July 5, 1966 Filed June 7, 1963 RUDOLF SCHZVIITZ United States Patent Office Patented July 5, 1966 3,259,151 CURTAIN AND CURTAIN'FABRiC FOR ITS MANUFACTURE Rudolf Schmitz, Emsdetteu, Westphalia, Germany, as-

signor to Gardisette G.m.b.H., Zug, Switzerland Filed June 7, 1963, Ser. No. 286,237 Claims priority, application Germany, June 20, 1959, G 27,335; Aug. 31, 1959, G 27,846 12 Claims. (Cl. 139425) This application is a continuation in-part application of my co-pending application Serial No. 34,624, filed on June 5, 1960, now abandoned, claiming the right of priority of the German application filed in Germany on June 20, 1959, and August 31, 1959.

The present invention relates to curtains and more particularly to weighted curtains capable of freely drapmg. I

In order to insure proper and pleasing hanging .of a curtain or drape, it is customary to provide the curtain, pre-cut from suitable fabric, atone of its borders; namely, the one intended as the lower border of the free-hanging curtain, with a hollow hem IOI seam into which is manually inserted a string-like or cord-like curtain weighting, particularly such curtain weighting as is commercially available and is known as lead cord. Such commerically available, inherently shapeless lead cords consists of a series of small metallic, preferably le-aden bodies or heads mounted on a string, the series of bodies being tightly covered by a tubular fabric; having no definite shape, the lead cord can freely follow any formation of folds and plaits in the hung or suspended curtain.

To provide the aforementioned hollow hem or seam in the pre-cut curtain requires not only additional careful and skillful sewing to prevent undesired deformations of and tensions ,and/ or creases in the curtain, but also results in a considerable waste of material necessitated for the forming of the hem or seam. Furthermore, such curtain weighting as is manually inserted into and remains unsecured in the hem or seam, is easily displaced longitudinally, whereby the desired free and unha-mpered plait and fold formation in the hanging curtain is obstructed and impaired.

To avoid the aforementioned disadvantages, at least one lead cord of the type described above is interlaced in accordance with the present invention into one border or selvage of the fabric while the latter is being manufactured, i.e., is woven or knitted in conventional knitting or weaving machines, whereby the lead cord forms a border or selvage warp thread of the fabric. Thus, the curtain pre-cut to the desired size from the fabric, is provided already initially with .a pre-arranged Weighting ready and capable to function properly for the free hanging and draping of the curtain. The curtain fabric may be manufactured, i.e., woven or knitted, in various widths, each of which will substantially conform to the required length of the freely hanging curtain, and by transversely cutting the desired portions from the fabric, even the most inexperienced and unskilled user be assured of curtains ready for immediate and proper hanging.

Admittedly, it is known in the prior art to incorporate wires or metal strips into certain fabrics in order to reinforce :or stiffen .the same; such reinforcing .or stiffening wires .or strips, however, are not able nor were they intended to follow freely and spontaneously plait and fold formations in the freely hung material, and thus such fabric as incorporated such reinforcing wires or strips, is unsuitable for use as nor was it ever intended as ourtain material capable of draping freely.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a curtain material available as a commercial item from which curtains can be made without necessitating sewing of heme as required with traditional curtain materials.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a curtain material as an article of commerce which is prefabricated with appropriate weights to enable the curtain to drape freely and properly in a completed uniform manner.

It is 'a further object of the present invention to provide a curtain material available as a commercial item having weight means included therein in a manner which, in addition to providing for equal uniform gathering, enables a neat and attractive look of the finished curtains without the presence of a thick hem at the lower end of the curtain.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a curtain material which facilitates the making of curtains therefrom and eliminates the risk of crooked edges at the lower ends of the finished-curtains when hung in the intended place.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a curtain material from which curtains can be made with less washed material than compared with curtains made from traditional curtain material.

These and further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which shows, for purposes of illustration only, one embodiment in accordance with the present invention, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view, partly broken away, of a conventional, commercially avail-able weighting means in cord form, used as curtain weighting;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view on a portion of an elongated web of curtain material according to the present invention which may be either woven or knitted; and

FIGURE 3 is a partial cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the curtain fabric in accordance with the present invention, illustrating a woven curtain fabric and taken along line 3--3 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the various views to designate like parts, reference numeral 11 generally designates the curtain fabric manufactured in the form of a continuous web of any desired width W on a conventional loom or knitting machine or the like. The curtain fabric 11 in accordance with the present invention is provided with a curtain-weighting means along one of its longitudinal borders or selvages, :the weight means consisting of at least one metallic cord, preferably lead cord 12, interlaced at the one longitudinal border of the curtain fabric 11 as a constituent warp thread thereof, whereby as is obvious from FIGURE 3, the weft threads 11a tightly surround the lead strip or cord 12 and form in effect a continuous narrow, elongated channel along the lower border or edge of the fabric web within which the lead strip or cord 12 is enclosed in substantial parallel relationship with the other warp threads 11b.

The curtain material according to the present invention, as available as a commercial item, is thus in the form of an elongated web 11 which is produced in continuous lengths on any suitable machine such as a loom or a knitting machine and is prefabricated with a weighting means 12 in the form of a substantially continuous cordlike member of relatively small external cross section, enclosed in a correspondingly narrow, continuous elongated channel generally designated by reference numeral 14, which is formed in effect by the weft threads 11a and which in the embodiment of FIGURE 2 follows continuously the lower edge 14' of the web 11. The warp threads 11b and the weft threads 11a may be made of any conventional material such as filaments and fibers.

The cord 12 or weighting material which, per se, is available as a conventional, commercial item, is shown in FIGURE 1, and is in the form of a bead-like member having a plurality of tiny weights 12a of a heavy material, usually lead, which are connected in any conventional, suitable manner, for example, in a manner similar to beads on a string, and are usually surrounded by a suitable protective tubular cover 12b. Such a continuous string or cord, which is known in the art as lead cord, is characterized by the fact that it is substantially shapeless so that it is able to follow any curvature of the curtain, drapery or gathering.

By embedding such weight means 12, as disclosed by the present invention, in a correspondingly narrow, elongated and continuous channel, formed in effect by the weft threads 11b, along at least one edge of the curtain material web 11, a number of significant advantages are obtained.

Compared with traditional curtain material without the Weight means in accordance with the present invention, which requires sewing of hems of seams in making curtains, at least at the top and the bottom thereof, the novel curtain material of the present invention completely obviates this sewing operation of a hem or seam at the lower curtain edge. Hence, the present invention not only results in labor saving but also entails considerable savings in material as that edge zone, or portion of the traditional curtain material, which otherwise would be used in the lower hem or seam, can be saved.

In addition thereto, the curtain material in accordance with the present invention, from which curtains of different widths can be readily cut transversely to the manufacturing direction of the web along suitable cutting lines 13a, 13b, or 13c to provide different widths of curtains W and W provides semi-prefabricated curtains to be cut because, using the edge 14' as the lower curtain edge, at the most only one hem transversely to the vertical direction of the curtain has to be sewn, namely, the top hem.

Since the lower edge 14' which is prefabricated and thus machine-made, is necessarily a straight edge, the danger of hanging or suspending a curtain with a crooked or uneven lower edge is substantially eliminated, thereby resulting in a much neater appearance of the curtains.

As is apparent from the cross section of FIGURE 3, the interior cross section of the elongated channel 14 formed in effect by the weft threads 11a, substantially corresponds to the exterior cross section of the weight cord 12 which is tightly surrounded by the weft threads 11a forming the channel 14. This also contributes to a significant improvement in the appearance of the curtain because all customary hems at the lower edge, which are usually more or less bulky, are completely avoided. Such bulky hems are, as is well known, necessarily more stiff and rigid than the edge of a fabric without any hems owning to the number of layers of fabric necessary to form the hem. Even though a lead cord, such as shown in FIGURE 1, may be inserted into a curtain hem which is hand-made, the benefits of the shapelessness of the lead cord 12 are not utilized as the curtain edge provided with a hem or seam still has the stiffness determined by the extra fabric. This means that the gathering and appearance of a hanging curtain with a traditional hem at the lower edge, even with the insertion of weight means, will be governed by the hem and the stiffness resulting therefrom.

In contradistinction thereto, the gathering and appearance of a curtain according to the present invention will be governed only by the suppleness and shapelessness of the lead cord. The narrow channel in which the lead cord is enclosed which substantially corresponds to the exterior diameter of the lead cord, does not have the character of a hem since the diameter of commercially available lead cords are of the order of A of an inch. Furthermore, the narrow channel 14 formed by the weft threads 1112 does not leave a visual impression comparable to the traditional hernv The substantial conformity of the edge channel to the cross section of the lead cord assures that the edge is able to adapt itself nearly completely to the shapelessness of the lead cord with a much more uniform gathering of the curtain and a much neater appearance of the lower edge. Consequently, a lead cord, warped into the material interlaced therein as disclosed by the present invention, cannotwithstanding the fact that the weaving of the lead cord as a warp is a convenient manufacturing stepneither be compared with fabric having a wire cord woven into the fabric at or near the edge thereof nor be compared with a fabric having a plurality of warps of ball chains joined by metallic links interlaced with the weft threads of the border. A wire cord Woven into the fabric as an edge thereof makes the edge stiff and serves to maintain the intended shape, for example, in the form of a bow. Warps of metallic beads joined by metallic links included in commercially available fabrics have only been suggested for purposes of obtaining a decorative effect in the material but do not serve the purpose of weight means along the lower edge of a freely hung curtain. In both prior art materials, the edge, contrary to the present invention, is more or less stiff while it is essential for the present invention that the edge of the curtain fabric benefits completely from the suppleness and shapelessness of the lead cord to assure the novel appearance and draping effect intended for the curtains of the present invention.

By using the weaving technique suggested by the present invention, i.e., by including the lead cord 12 as a border warp as shown in FIGURE 3, perpendicularly to the weft threads 11a, the border warp lead cord 12 will obviously run parallel with the adjacent warp 11b. This provides for a neat appearance of the lower edge of the curtain because obviously minor irregularities in the top hem of the curtain with a height of, for example, three to four feet, will be absorbed throughout the entire height of the curtain so that the lower border will be substantially straight.

Since, however, warp and weft threads are not always included in curtain fabrics, for example, those produced on knitting machines or other types of machines, different from the conventional looms, the lead cord 12 included in the border of the curtain material or fabric produced on such other types of machines may be characterized as being incorporated in the material in a warp-like manner; that is, parallel with the threads or chains of threads running in the machine direction of the continuous web in such a manner that the basic objects of the invention are achieved thereby. The term warp-like thread will be used in connection with the continuous, uninterrupted weighting cord 12 when used in the manner described above in accordance with the present invention, whether such use be on looms or knitting machines or other conventional machines. a

As indicated by the dotted lines 13a, 13b, and in FIGURE 2, curtain pieces having any desired width are cut transversely from the fabric 11, and these curtain pieces are immediately ready for proper hanging.

While I have shown and described only one embodiment of the present invention, it is understood that the same is not limited thereto, but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to a person skilled in the art, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein, but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A curtain essentially consisting of textile fabric having lengthwise edges forming selvage-like borders and intended to be freely suspended near only one of said edges, said fabric being of such suppleness and shapeless nature that it can follow substantially over its entire extent, at right angle to the direction of said edges, inclusive the other of said edges, the contour imparted thereto owing to an approximately horizontal suspension along the said one edge, means in said curtain along the other of said edges to form in effect a relatively narrow, continuous channel extending substantially along the entire other edge, and highly supple, continuous weight means extending uninterruptedly in said relatively narrow channel for weighting down said other edge without impairing the capability of the curtain to follow the folds resulting from its suspension, said continuous weight means being of a cross section such that the cross section of said channel tightly surrounds said continuous weight means and holds the same against displacements in the direction of said edges as well as in a direction perpendicular thereto, whereby the appearance of the entire curtain remains completely unimpaired by any hem substantially from the one to the other edge and the weight means are at all times confined to said other edge in a manner that is neat and appealing to the eye.

2. A curtain according to claim 1, wherein said uninterrupted weight means include a substantially tubular, highly supple member containing a plurality of small metallic elements.

3. A curtain essentially consisting of textile fabric including warp-like and weft-like threads and having lengthwise edges forming selvage-like borders, said curtain being intended to be freely suspended near only one of said edges, said fabric being of such suppleness and shapeless nature that it can follow substantially over its entire extent, at right angle to the direction of said edges, inclusive the other of said edges, the contour imparted thereto owing to an approximately horizontal suspension along the said one edge, means in said curtain along the other of said edges and constituted at least in part by some of said weft-like threads to form in effect a relatively narrow, continuous channel extending substantially along the entire other edge, and highly supple continuous weight means forming warp-like thread extending uninterruptedly in said relatively narrow channel for weighting down said other edge without impairing the capability of the curtain to follow the folds resulting from its suspension, said continuous weight means being of a cross section such that the cross section of said channel tightly surrounds said continuous weight means and holds the same against displacements in the direction of said edges as well as in a direction perpendicular thereto, whereby the appearance of the entire curtain remains completely unimpaired by any hem substantially from the one to the other edge and the weight means are at all times confined to said other edge in a manner that is neat and appealing to the eye.

4. In a curtain fabric essentially consisting of textile fabric in the form of a continuous, pliable web provided with lengthwise, opposite edges extending in the direction of manufacture of the web, said curtain fabric being intended to be freely hung near only one of said edges, and the fabric being of such suppleness and shapelessness that it can follow substantially over its entire extent, at right angle to the direction of said edges, inclusive the other edge, the contour and gatherings imparted thereto by an approximately horizontal hanging along said one edge,

the improvement essentially consisting of a prefabricated curtain weighting forming part of the continuous, pliable web and comprising thread means in said web along the other of said edges to form in effect a relatively narrow, continuous channel extending substantially over the entire other edge, and highly supple continuous, cord-like weight means extending uninterruptedly in said relatively narrow channel for weighting down said other edge without impairing the capability of the curtain to follow the gatherings resulting from its hanging, the thread means in effect forming said channel tightly surrounding said continuous weight means and holding the same against displacements in the direction of said edges as well as in a direction perpendicular thereto, whereby the appearance of the hung curtain remains completely unimpaired by any hem at said other edge and the continuous, cord-like weight means are at all times confined to said other longitudinal edge in a neat manner while the hung curtain is able to develop substantially uniform gatherings inclusive within the area thereof along said other edge.

5. The combination according to claim 4, wherein said fabric includes warp-like elements selected from the group consisting of filaments and fibers, and said cord-like weight means constitute a warp-like element along said other edge.

6. The combination according to claim 5, wherein said fabric includes weft-like elements selected from the group consisting of filaments and fibers, and said thread means form weft-like elements.

7. A curtain according to claim 1, wherein the textile fabric is a woven textile fabric.

8. A curtain according to claim 1, wherein said textile fabric is a knitted textile fabric.

9. A curtain according to claim 3, wherein the textile fabric is a woven textile fabric.

10. A curtain according to claim 3, wherein the textile fabric is a knitted textile fabric.

11. The combination according to claim 4, wherein the textile fabric is a woven fabric.

12. The combination according to claim 4, wherein the textile fabric is a knitted fabric.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 332,800 12/1885 Higgins 139-425 365,689 6/1887 Kelly 139-425 387,137 7/1888 Brown et al 139-425 524,441 8/1894 Johns 139-420 X 914,362 3/1909 Palmer 139-384 1,298,550 3/1919 Newell -349 1,349,477 8/ 1920 Stocker 161-36 1,706,672 3/1929 Mason 161-139 X 1,983,617 12/1934 Ladon 139-425 X 1,992,856 2/ 1935 Blatz 139-425 X 2,079,831 5/1937 Baurer et a1 139-284 X 2,093,187 9/1937 Burke et al. 139-384 X 2,126,834 8/1938 Steinberger 161-73 X 2,371,039 3/ 1945 Fischel 87-4 X 2,698,009 12/1954 Cusick 66-202 X 2,723,588 11/1955 Wheatcroft 87-4 X 2,891,612 6/1959 Johnson et al 160-84 2,998,829 9/1961 Horowitz 139-384 FOREIGN PATENTS 605,122 2/ 1926 France.

3,186 1860 Great Britain. 17,942 1899 Great Britain.

DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner. J. KEECHI, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CURTAIN ESSENTIALLY CONSISTING OF TEXTILE FABRIC HAVING LENGTHWISE EDGES FORMING SALVAGE-LIKE BORDERS AND INTENDED TO BE FREELY SUSPENDED NEAR ONLY ONE OF SAID EDGES, SAID FABRIC BEING OF SUCH SUPPLENESS AND SHAPELESS NATURE THAT IT CAN FOLLOW SUBSTANTIALLY OVER ITS ENTIRE EXTENT, AT RIGHT ANGLE TO THE DIRECTION OF SAID EDGES, INCLUSIVE THE OTHER OF SAID EDGES, THE CONTOUR IMPARTED THERETO OWING TO AN APPROXIMATELY HORIZONTAL SUSPENSION ALONG THE SAID ONE EDGE, MEANS IN SAID CERTAIN ALONG THE OTHER OF SAID EDGES TO FORM IN EFFECT A RELATIVELY NARROW, CONTINUOUS CHANNEL EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE ENTIRE OTHER EDGE, AND HIGHLY SUPPLE, CONTINUOUS WEIGHT MEANS EXTENDING UNINTERRUPTEDLY IN SAID RELATIVELY NARROW CHANNEL FOR WEIGHTING DOWN SAID OTHER EDGE WITHOUT IMPAIRING THE CAPABILITY OF THE CURTAIN TO FOLLOW THE FOLDS RESULTING FROM ITS SUSPENSION, SAID CONTINUOUS WEIGHT MEANS BEING OF A CROSS SECTION SUCH THAT THE CROSS SECTION OF SAID CHANNEL TIGHTLY SURROUNDS SAID CONTINUOUS WEIGHT MEANS AND HOLDS THE SAME AGAINST DISPLACEMENTS IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID EDGES AS WELL AS IN A DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR THERETO, WHEREBY THE APPEARANCE OF THE ENTIRE CURTAIN REMAINS COMPLETELY UNIMPAIRED BY AN HEM SUBSTANTIALLY FROM THE ONE TO THE OTHER EDGE AND THE WEIGHT MEANS ARE AT ALL TIMES CONFINED TO SAID OTHER EDGE IN A MANNER THAT IS NEAT AND APPEALING TO THE EYE. 